Mystery

How do you best summarize the career of a musician like Angelo Perlepes, Greece’s Neoclassical Metal guitarists per excellence? During his lenghty career, mr Perlepes has assumed just as much the role as a musical pioneer within the field of classical-influenced Heavy Metal as becoming a safe beacon of tradition, quality and artistic integrity against the the destructive forces of the music business.

In an interview published in the third issue of the Greek True Metal fanzine “Steel Conjuring”, the guitarist shares with the readers some interesting details about the history (and pre-history) of the band. Influenced by the Heavy Rock titans of the 1960s/1970s as well as the masters of the Classical/Baroque period, Angelo first picked up the guitar in 1977 at the age of eleven. His first band was called STIGMA and lasted sometime until the mid-1980s, after which he formed TILT in 1986. TILT was the direct pre-cursor to MYSTERY, or more correctly ANGELO PERLEPES’ MYSTERY. Stylistically, MYSTERY offered something that was unique in Greek Heavy Metal at the time: 1980s-styled Heavy Metal integrated with substantial amounts of Neoclassical elements. This combination begs for a comparison to the musical output of YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, yet it would be a miscalculation to write off MYSTERY as some sort of copycat act. As the guitarist stated in the interview referred to above, his and Malmsteen’s work bear similarities, but this is largely due to their equal age and musical background. Moreover, those who are acquainted with the music of both will notice different approaches and individual signifiers that separate the axemen.

MYSTERY first appeared in 1989 on the seminal compilation “Greece Attacks” on Molon Lave Records. It was in fact the inclusion of their eponymously titled song that gave the band its name. After discovering the existence of another European band called TILT, it became necessary to come up with a new name to suit the music. Prior to the relase of “Greece Attacks”, someone at Molon Lave (George Osmak, perhaps?) suggested that they should name themselves after the compilation track, and the rest is history.

Two years down the road the eponymous debut album was released through Molon Lave on vinyl in a relatively limited run. According to Perlepes, approximately 500-600 copies were printed, and the original pressing of “Mystery” soon became a collector’s item. Always upholding the firm belief that Heavy Metal is ideally experienced in a live setting, MYSTERY gigged extensively within Greece during the early-to-mid-1990s and continues to do so until this day it seems (except during the band’s hiatus between 2014-2018).

Complications arising after a deal fell through with the apparently not too serious Metal Mad Music label unfortunately delayed the release of MYSTERY’s second album. When “Tales…” arrived in 1999 it proved to be a strong follow-up that aside from its more up-to-date production gave witness to an impressive stylistic and qualitative consistency. In general, this also applies to the subsequent albums released during the 2000s. Initially, this could partly be explained by the fact that some of the compositions originated from a much earlier period, supposedly dating back to the creation of the first full-lengh album, but is also a testament to the stubborn vision and qualitative measures upheld by the main composer. That the music still sounded fresh can perhaps also be attributed to the continual influxion of fresh blood in the member ranks, with Perlepes working as the creative nave joined by a host of shifting musicians.

After a longer period of inactivity between 2014-2018, the band is once again back in action. Especially on the live scene, where they’ve attended many concerts and festivals throughout Greece and Europe, sharing the stage with classic artists such as RIOT, PERSIAN RISK, LOUDNESS, SCANNER and the Greek Heavy Rock/Proto-Metal act VAVOURA BAND. Some re-issue work has surfaced in later years, so it wouldn’t be totally unreasonable to suspect that something more might be in the making…

Compilation appearances:
* Greece Attacks [2LP, Comp, Gatefold: FM, 1989]
* Hammer Holocaust II [CD, Comp: Metal Hammer & Heavy Metal, 1996]
* Hammer Holocaust III [CD, Comp: Metal Hammer & Heavy Metal, 1998]
* Warzone XX [CD, Comp: Metal Invader, 1998]
* Heavy Living Vol. I [CD, Comp: Self-released (Heavy Living), 1999]
* Mortal Affair – Stream of Nothing [LP, Comp, Limited, Numbered:
ΔΙΚΤΥΟ Π.Μ., 2003]
* Sons of a Dream – A Tribute to the Majesty of Warlord [CD, Comp: Metal Breed, 2014]
* Thunder and Steel Down Under – A Tribute to Riot [CD, Comp: Skol, 2015]